Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-12-23
A FRlGHTFUL FLOOD.
1t Sweeps Eleven Chinese Cities From
the Face of the Earth.
Probably a Million People Lost Their
Lives in the Great Disaster.

The steamship City of Sydney has ar
rived at San Francisco from Hong Kong
and Yokahoma. Chinese papers give de.
tails of a disaster occasioned bv the
Yellow river overfowing its banks in the
province of Honau, and describe it as one
of the most appalling occurrences in loss
of life and property recorded in recent
times. The river broke its banks on the
evening of Sept. %, southwest of the
city of Ching Chow, aid not only com
plesely inundated that city, but also ten
other populous cities. The whole area is
now raging sea of ten to thirty feet
deep where it was once a densely popu-
lated and rich plain. The former bed of
the Yellow river is now dry and the pres
ent lake was the bed of the river centur-
les ago. The loss of life is incglculabIe,
and the statement is made by missionar-
les that millions OF Chinese are home
less and starving. Thomas Patton, one of
the American missionaries, writing from
Honau province, under date of October
%, says: "The newly gathered crops,
houses and trees are all swept away, III
volving
FEARFUL Loss OF LIFE.
The country was covered with a fine
winter braid, which is gone, and implies
a complete destruction to next wears
crop. BREAD! bread"' is the cry of
thousands who are on the river bank.
Benevolent people go in boats and throw
bread among the masses here and there,
but it is nothing compared with the re-
quirements. The mass of people is still
being increased by continual arrivals
even more hungry than the last. There
they sit stunned, hungry and detected
without rag to wear or morsel of
food. Mat huts are being erected for
them. What it will be in two months 1
can not conceive. The misery is in
creased owing to the bitter cold weather.
Yellow river has long been known as
oHINA's SORROW
and the present disaster has served to
reassert its right to the terrible title. As
yet the details of the disaster are yery
meager. 1t has occurred in q district
where but few foreigners are, and reports
furnished by officials and published in
the Peking Gazette convey very made
quate report of the extent of loss of life
and property and sufferings of the survi-
vors. The governor in Honsu reports to
the throne that NEARLY all people have
been drowned in the districJ reached by
water, the survivors being those who
escaped to hign ground or took
refuge in trees, where they re-
malned until they were rescued. This
gives but little impression as to what
the extent of the disaster really is. The
Chinese Times states that in the province
of Chihli, where disastrous inundstions
have also occurred, there are 10000
people homeless, representing those
whose lives were destroyed, and adds
that misery In that province is trifing
compared with that caused by the Huang
Ho, or Yellow river. The extent of the
ground swept over by
THE OVERWHELMING FLOOD,
given in English figures, is over 1000
square miles ans the LAID thus 8ubmerg-
ed formed part of one of the richest
and most densely populated plains of
Northern China. The necessity for
liberal aid may therefore be imagined
Already considerable sums have been
contributed towards the relief of the
sufferers. The emperor of China has
given two millions of teals, and Chinese
have started subscription lists in Shang-
hal, to which foreigners have literally
contributed. Millions have been rem
dered homeless and entirely deprived of
all chances of earning livelihood, for
their fields will either become permanent
lakes or uninhabitable swamps. It is
feared that the distress which will be felt
during the coming winter will equal in
intensity the famine of ten years ago,
when the charitable donations contribut-
ed from all parts of the world we're utter
ly inadequate. 1t is stated that owing to
the action taken by the Yellow river, it no
longer floats toward the sea, but seems
content in converting Eastern Honau
and Northern Nganwhui into lake. 1t
may ultimately flow into the sea through
the klangon, or it may even possibly join
the Yangtsze.